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    Haunted by Ghost Jobs? 5 Tips for Job Seekers

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    As the saying goes, everything old is new again, and “ghost jobs” are no exception. Over the past decade, we’ve seen the job market favor both employers and job seekers at different times. Since then, the pendulum has continued to swing in both directions as candidates ghost employers while employers post imaginary jobs that mislead candidates.
    There are a number of reasons why employers may choose to go this route. Among the most common are to build a pipeline of candidates to backfill future vacancies, to give the impression of company growth and stability, or to appease overworked employees. Still others may simply choose to post non-existent jobs rather than seeing pre-paid job postings go unused, or find that removing postings for jobs that were filled to be too time consuming.
    Unfortunately, the challenges employers face and their choices for dealing with them can negatively affect job seekers, particularly those who have applied for numerous jobs without receiving a single response. So what can candidates do to help recognize and avoid ghost jobs, while making the best possible impression on employers who may be hiring in the future? Here are a few suggestions.
    Filter by Date
    Though it’s impossible to distinguish real job opportunities from fake ones with 100% certainty, the longer a job has been posted, the more likely it’s not legitimate. If a job has been posted for several months, it’s a good indication that filling the role is not a priority, or the employer simply neglected to remove the post after hiring. Whenever possible, candidates should filter job search results by date and prioritize the most recent listings. This won’t eliminate all ghost jobs, but job searching is often a numbers game, and targeting the newest opportunities first can increase candidates’ odds of receiving a response.
    View Company’s Career Page and Social Media Profiles
    While employers may have an incentive to post ghost jobs, they likely won’t actively promote and recruit for them. Not only would this be a waste of their time, but it could severely damage their employer brand when disgruntled applicants leave negative comments and reviews regarding their (lack of a) hiring process. Job seekers should visit a company’s career page and social media pages in order to determine which roles they are promoting regularly and most anxious to fill.
    Contact Hiring Managers or Recruiters
    When visiting a company’s career page and social media pages, candidates should note whether a hiring manager’s or recruiter’s name and contact info are attached to job postings. If not, they may run a search on LinkedIn to find an employee who works in recruiting or their field of expertise. Candidates can then email these employees or connect with them on LinkedIn and inquire about open positions. Even if the employee is not a recruiter or hiring manager, they may still be willing to help a determined job seeker, particularly if their company has a referral program.
    Tap Your Network
    Networking is not something that can be done last minute when there’s an urgent need. It should be part of both employees’ and job seekers’ regular routines in order to build a trusted source of experts and allies. If candidates apply for a job they feel is a good fit but the employer remains unresponsive, a quick search of their network will reveal if they are connected to any of the company’s current or past employees. If not, posting an inquiry can generate leads that connections may provide. Of course, there’s no guarantee this will yield results. But considering that 30-50% of new hires come from referrals, it’s worth maximizing all resources.
    Demonstrate Your Expertise
    Regardless of how tenacious job seekers are in sourcing leads, applying for roles and contacting employers, none of this matters if they don’t have the skills and experience employers are looking for. Those qualifications should be evident during their job search. Candidates should ensure their LinkedIn profile is updated with work history, certifications, projects, publications and media samples. In addition, they should join groups and share news, blogs and articles with their network that are relevant to their industry or target role. When deciding which candidates to interview out of dozens or hundreds with similar qualifications, employers will likely pursue those whose expertise is evident and who share it on a regular basis.
    As we’ve seen over the past decade, ghost jobs aren’t going away any time soon. In fact, according to Forexlive, a recent surge in imaginary job postings may have contributed to the Federal Reserve’s overconfidence in the strength of the U.S. economy. Though many employers will continue to hedge their bets in an uncertain economy by posting jobs they’re not ready to fill, candidates who know what to look for and take a proactive approach to networking and self-promotion can avoid ghost jobs while increasing their chances of landing one of the real ones.
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      Top 10 Tips to Avoid Ghosting Your Candidates

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      A bad candidate experience can have a detrimental effect on both brands and those applying to work with them. During the pandemic, we saw a huge increase in volume of applicants for different positions. Rumors ran rife about being ghosted deep into the recruitment process. We wanted to investigate the scale of the problem and the damage being done, so we commissioned some research.
      The findings were shocking. 65% of people have been ghosted, according to our research of 2000 UK adults. 86% said their experience of being ghosted left them feeling down and 43% said it took weeks, or even months, to rebuild and move on. The damage to brands also became clear, with 94% saying it left them with negative thoughts or feelings towards the company they applied to.
      Most small companies manage with spreadsheets and simple trackers while large companies and recruitment agencies invest in technology, customized to their needs. Here are some tips to ensure your company can confidently avoid ghosting candidates.

      Get everyone on board. Recruitment is an area that most department managers get involved in as well as HR teams. Step one is to take the facts about the impacts of ghosting and educate everyone internally. Once you have company-wide support to ensure this doesn’t happen in your organization it’s time to make a plan on how you’re going to tackle ghosting head-on.
      Put yourself in the candidate’s shoes. What sort of communication would you want at each stage? A quick email takes seconds and can really help a candidate.
      Set up automated emails. If you have one, use your applicant tracking system (ATS) to set up automated emails to candidates at each stage of the application process. This means they will always be kept informed of the stage of their application.
      Send updates promptly. No news is good news, except for when you’re waiting to hear about an application. As soon as you’ve made a decision, positive or negative, then let the candidate know.
      Make notes straight after a call or interview. ‘Don’t put off to tomorrow what you can do today’ as the old adage goes. Take thorough notes each time you speak to a candidate, this will make it easier to make a decision and also give you plenty of information to use when you go back to them.
      Use bulk email or SMS. Communicating with multiple candidates quickly and simply, a standardized message is better than no contact at all.
      Use your ATS reporting feature or keep a log. This helps to ensure that no candidate gets forgotten, know how many candidates have applied to each role, what stage they’re at, and when you last contacted them, save all that inbox searching time.
      Close down the role. When you hire someone make sure to go back and check you have processed and responded to all of the other applicants.
      Get feedback from your applicants. They’re the ones that have been through your process so can offer some valuable insight. Make sure you speak to both successful and unsuccessful candidates for a well-rounded view.
      Review and improve your process. There’s always room for improvement, ensure you revisit your plan and the tactics you’re using every few months to make sure they’re still impactful and to implement any new ideas.

      Telling candidates they haven’t been selected is a tough call to make, especially when you’ve been positive up until that point. But doing so quickly and kindly provides closure and allows them to move on with their career elsewhere.
      No one ever intends to ghost a candidate part-way through the recruitment process, but it’s important to acknowledge that it does sometimes happen. We need to tackle this problem together. By supporting this campaign and following the best practice guidelines, employers can show that they care about each applicant as an individual. We invite readers to join the campaign or share their stories at www.end-ghosting.com.
      By Neil Armstrong of Tribepad.
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